Never alone
TorahParshat Pinchas

Never alone

Numbers 25:10 – 30:1

Each week, at the conclusion of the Torah reading, the haftorah is read. The haftorah is a portion from the Prophets, usually one which matches the theme of the Torah portion of the week, but at times chosen to match the events on the Jewish calendar.

Currently we are in the three-week period of mourning, book-ended by the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av. During this time, we lament the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples and the exiles which followed. We reflect on the suffering our people have experienced — indeed, still are experiencing — and work toward bringing about a better, more G-dly, world. The haftorahs for these weeks are referred to as the “three of affliction.”

The first of this series, read this week, is from the beginning of the book of Jeremiah. In it we read of his prophesy regarding the destruction of the Temple, a future he had the misfortune to see come to pass in his lifetime. His prophesy includes G-d’s warning that “From the north (i.e. the Babylonians) the misfortune will break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land (of Israel).”

Jeremiah was a prophet in a dark and painful period in Jewish history, and he did not shy away from facing that darkness head on. He met the Jewish people where they were and encouraged them to turn to G-d.

In recent years, as the Jewish people are once again under direct attack, we can find meaning and inspiration from his life and message. Today, many wonder how we can overcome the forces of evil that seek to destroy us. It can feel like an insurmountable burden, not just to live as a Jew, but also to be a positive influence on our surrounding. How can we bring G-d’s light into a world that seems to have turned against us?

Jeremiah, too, asked this question of G-d. When G-d informs him that, “I have made you a prophet to the nations,” he responds, “Alas, O Lord G-d! Behold, I know not to speak for I am a youth.” He did not feel up to the immense task of bringing G-d’s word to the world.

In response G-d tells him, and each of us, “Fear them not, for I am with you.” True, we alone are not capable of overcoming the challenges we face, but this need not worry us, because we are never alone. When we recognize that we face these challenges as G-d’s representatives in the world, when we know that G-d is always with us in our sorrow, we can be confident that we will overcome. We can know with absolute certainty that He will give us the strength to endure and thrive.

In these difficult times, we remind ourselves that, “They shall fight against you but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you says the Lord, to save you.” Regardless of how difficult, no matter how painful, there is no room for despair because G-d is always there with us. PJC

Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld is the rabbi at the Lubavitch Center and the executive director of Chabad of Western Pennsylvania. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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